The Indiana Pacers finally found their next head coach on Thursday with the hiring of Rick Carlisle. The former Mavs boss replaces Nate Bjorkgren, who lasted just one season with the Pacers.

Indiana legend Reggie Miller applauded the latest move to bring in Carlisle, but he also had a blunt message for the Pacers players, per the Athletic's Jon Krawczynski:

Some harsh words from Reggie. He's not wrong, though. McMillan was canned by the Pacers before this season and then went on to take over the Atlanta Hawks just before the All-Star break. They're currently in a conference final and went from awful to contender under McMillan. Then Bjorkgren, who was known as a fantastic coach with the Raptors, had a tough time putting things together in 2020-21, including reported animosity between him and the players.

The Pacers certainly dealt with their fair share of injuries, but it was definitely not a banner year after being annihilated by the Washington Wizards in the play-in tournament. Miller is right though, there are no excuses. Carlisle is a top-notch coach who brings tons of experience and a wealth of knowledge to the table. This is Indiana's time to shine and get back to relevance in the East. They certainly have the right man leading the way this time around.